


His Light

by Byakuao



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M, Manga Spoilers, OTP Battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-24
Updated: 2014-03-24
Packaged: 2018-01-16 17:30:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1355827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Byakuao/pseuds/Byakuao
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An encounter that may have occurred before everything went downhill during their time at Teiko. </p><p>(spoilers for the manga)</p>
            </blockquote>





	His Light

The navy-haired male walked along the footpath, not very sure of what he was doing, or where he was going. All he knew was that there was something about the atmosphere of his home, that made him want to _get away_ for a while. Maybe, the open sports magazines on his desk, his Teiko jersey, lying rumpled and abandoned on the floor of the bedroom, or the basketball, sitting in some dark corner of the house, that he hadn’t touched for days (which was something completely _uncharacteristic_ of this teenager who loved, or had loved, basketball with all his heart), contributed to this certain atmosphere aforementioned.

If passers-by were asked about the expression on this particular male’s face, there would be many mentions of the words ‘distress’, ‘confusion’, ‘hopelessness’… This wasn’t surprising. Not at the moment.

_It’s not fun anymore._

_Basketball. It’s boring._

_I’m… starting to hate it._

… Not when these thoughts were allowed to roam free in Aomine’s mind.

The bottom of his sneakers brushed roughly against the concrete, and his head was down. Right now, Aomine needed something. He wasn’t entirely sure what. Maybe something that would remind him of what he was doing here, his _purpose;_ something that might fuel that weak, but still burning, flame inside of him—

“Aomine-kun?”

It was a soft, familiar voice. A voice of a person who was so important to the tanned male. A voice that elicited a feeling of ease inside of him.

_Tetsu._

Aomine raised his head, and there he was. The shadow to his light. He simply stared, at the male before him, taking in how the orange glow of sunset behind him gently stained all of his edges, the hard and the soft, making him look almost ethereal in Aomine’s eyes.

Aomine stepped forward, and without thinking, he extended his arms. In a few short moments, those arms were wrapped around Kuroko. The way he held Kuroko was somewhat gentle and hesitant, words rarely used to describe this tanned male’s actions. (Maybe he was only like this, or _tried_ to be like this, when it came to Kuroko). The taller male was hyper-aware of how the smaller body felt against his own.

“Aomine-kun… what are you—”

“Sorry Tetsu. Just… let me stay like this for a while.”

“…Okay.”

Aomine wasn’t quite sure _why_ he suddenly wanted to hug him, but he did anyway. And it was a good thing that he did. Sure, he’d been this close to Kuroko before. Accidental stumbles on the court. A friendly arm around the shoulders. Though that wasn’t anything like the moment they were sharing right now.

Kuroko Tetsuya is the name of the person who Aomine respected, admired, had blind faith in, and _loved_ , though he himself may not yet know this. Being pressed so close to him somehow added a little more energy to that small flame in his chest. And that was enough to make a slow, gentle warmth start to spread throughout his body.

It was a warmth he hadn’t felt in what seemed like a long time. Recently, Aomine had started skipping practice. Kuroko and Aomine didn’t talk as much as they used to, and gradually, the important bonds between them had begun to break. To Aomine, this warmth was almost nostalgic in a way. It reminded him of those times where he would go to extra practice after school with Kuroko, then buy a popsicle or two, walk home together… It reminded him of how he felt when he discovered the boy’s pure _tenacity_ and most important of all, his unwavering and undeniable passion for the sport that was called basketball.

But, of course, things change, and even the closest of friendships can change in nature. However, as Aomine held Kuroko, he realized, he was _afraid._ Afraid of change. Afraid of what sort of monster he might become. Afraid that he would end up hating basketball. And most of all, afraid that he would lose Kuroko.

As that thought struck him, his chest started to physically _ache._ His embrace tightened, until he could feel every inch of Kuroko’s body against his own. He closed his eyes, burying his cheek into the other boy’s soft hair. It was as if Aomine wanted to remind himself, that Kuroko was still here, that he hadn’t lost the person who was most important to him. And at that, he decided to voice a burdening thought which had made him feel hollow every time it surfaced.

“Tetsu…” He whispered the name in a low, rather strained tone.

“Yes, Aomine-kun?” A muffled voice replied.

“What if…” The shakiness in his voice betrayed the level of anxiety he was feeling. “…What if, one day, I lose interest for basketball…? What if… I forget how to catch your passes?”

After a few tense moments of silence, Aomine felt a familiar, but painful jab in his side.

“Ah--! W-What the hell was that for…?” The taller male jumped back in surprise, at the same time letting go of Kuroko. There was a small, rare, accusing look behind his shadow’s usually emotionless cerulean gaze.

“It was Aomine-kun’s punishment for being stupid.”

“Huh…?”

“That day will never come, Aomine-kun. As your partner, as your shadow, I won’t allow it to happen. I promise.”

The navy haired male stared back into his shadow’s eyes, looking for a trace of hesitation, or uncertainty. But all he saw was pure determination and hope.

_Ah._

_That’s right._

_It’s you, Tetsu._

_You’re the reason I’m here._

_You’re my source of motivation._

_I’m not playing basketball just for myself._

_I’m also playing it so I can be on the court with you._

Aomine turned his gaze down to the pavement, as guilt and regret, but most importantly, _understanding,_ washed over him.

“Tetsu… I…” _I’m sorry._

“You don’t need to say anything. I forgive you. Just make sure you don’t say anything as silly as that again. And also…” The pale haired male lifted his fist, as his lips curved up into a small, gentle smile. “Come to basketball practice again.”

Even though Aomine was not longer holding Kuroko in an embrace, the warmth inside of him had never faded. He let out a wide grin, something he hadn’t done for quite a while, and bumped his fist against his partner’s.

“Yeah, I will. Thanks, Tetsu.”

In that moment, rather than Kuroko being his shadow, Aomine felt that Kuroko was a light; a light that provided him with unconditional warmth, and guided him whenever he felt lost.

~~~

However, the promise between Teiko’s light and shadow… was broken.

Because some time after their encounter, Aomine spoke these despairing, contradictory words to Kuroko:    
  
 _“I don’t even remember how to receive your passes anymore.”_

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic, and I'm glad it was written for this fandom :3 I edited it after submitting to the OTP Battle, though I'm still somewhat unsatisfied with the result. So, sorry for the OOC-ness. But I had to try... for Aokuro. 
> 
> [I got the general idea from: http://imagineyourotp.tumblr.com/post/64005141359/imagine-person-a-is-wandering-around-upset-over]


End file.
